Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below are the audio links to our last Sunday’s 7th Jan 2018 recording for sharing by all. The sharing is very good and a copy of the talk’s synopsis is enclosed below for your further sharing:
Synopsis for lesson 65 of the 6th Patriarch Platform sutra dated 7.1.2018:
- It is important to understand what constitutes defilements so that we can see them clearly in our meditation and daily life to arise the right efforts to take care of our karma. Defilements means having mental negativities and evil roots of Greed, Hatred and Delusion. However, in cultivation, one’s practice must not take the focus of just to get rid of defilements because that will not result in true progress. Instead it may give rise to great stress involving the thinking, the effort to rid off defilement and focusing etc. Instead, the concern should be to straighten one’s views via careful observation to develop the wisdom. With wisdom, defilements will automatically cease. Always remember only wisdom frees the mind.
2. Be observant and mindful via the silent mind (most of the time) to understand what is happening, not reacting to every situation based on memory and one’s own previous conditioning. With right view, one will be able to arise the rest of the Noble Eightfold Path factors appropriately to progress along the path of Dharma.
3. Don’t use force to suppress, control and banish defilements as defilements are created by delusion. When there is delusion, there is defilement leading to the stirring of the mind to arise the duality of good and bad, right and wrong, wholesome and unwholesome. Once there is duality, it is impossible to get rid of negativity because negativity (bad and unwholesome mind states) come in a package with its opposites. When you don’t create the opposite is not. This is understanding or wisdom.
